


The One Where Moony's Not The Mother

by WotInSmut



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Literally Just Some Cute Marauders Fluff Because There's Not Enough Out There, M/M, Marauders Friendship, Marauders' Era, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 09:49:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12251928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WotInSmut/pseuds/WotInSmut
Summary: It takes five years and a lot of supporting details, but Remus finally realizes that he's not the mother of the Marauders.





	The One Where Moony's Not The Mother

Remus certainly hadn’t meant to notice. In fact, for the longest time, he hadn’t. They’d been friends nearly six years before he really began to see it. No one else seemed to see it, so at first Remus simply wondered if he was so starved for affection that he’d begun to imagine it, but he knew that with these boys, ‘starved for affection’ wasn’t a term that should even cross his mind.  
No, he decided, it must be real.  
For the rest of the night, Remus thought back, trying to remember any past instances where he might have noticed had he been paying attention. Surprisingly- or maybe not, he decided, thinking about it- he thought of quite a few.  
There had been the time in first year, right after they’d all become friends, when Peter had tripped and scraped his knee badly, and James had knelt down to help him up. Remus hadn’t thought about it at the time because he was so distracted by Sirius that day- he was missing. None of them were sure where he’d gone, but all were worried. Remus recalled, actually, that this worry and distraction plaguing them all was what had caused Pete to fall in the first place. But the dark cloud covering them seemed to thicken slightly above James’ head. Again Remus hadn’t thought anything of it because he didn’t know James well enough yet, but now he couldn’t recall James smiling at all that day until Sirius showed up in their dorm that evening to calmly explain away his absence.  
Then Remus thought about the time in second year when Peter again tripped and hurt himself. This time, no one had helped him up; James had just instructed him calmly to stand up. They were twelve now, he had said, and that meant they were mature adults. Of course, he disproved this statement just a couple hours later when he charmed Severus’ hair pink, claiming that he’d been attempting to wash it for ‘his dear old pal, old bud’ and that the oil in Snape’s hair had affected the spell. Nonetheless, now that Remus was thinking, he realized that James had helped Peter grow up a little that day, as he couldn’t remember Pete being upset about falling again after he’d realized he was fine.  
The Christmas of second year popped into Remus’ mind next. They’d all gone to the Potters’ house (only Sirius had to sneak away for it, so Remus supposed they hadn’t been too terrible about it) for the holidays. The Potter home smelled like cookies the whole month they were there, and when James figured out why Remus was smiling so often, he made sure to ask his mother to make Remus a couple extra cookies and to keep the house smelling sweet at least the duration of his stay. Naturally James hadn’t told Remus about this, but Mrs. Potter had smiled knowingly at Remus every time she caught him sniffing the kitchen, and James made a point to give Remus the cookies himself. Remus figured it out pretty quickly.  
Later that same year, his friends had found out about what they now referred to as ‘Remus’ Furry Little Problem.’ Sirius had at first seemed as though he was accepting him simply to scorn the rest of the Blacks and their avid hatred for werewolves. Peter had acted a little hesitant and frightened around him for about a month. Remus couldn’t fault them this: they were twelve years old and sharing a room with a monster. Both of them eventually came around to the idea and finally began to treat him normally again, but James had needed no adjustment time. He had simply told Remus that he knew Remus was a wolf, and that he didn’t care. Then he dragged the Marauders down to the kitchen for tea before bed, all of them hiding beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Remus smiled now, realizing how strange it was to think that they had all once been able to fit underneath that cloak.  
In third year, Sirius had finally realized his brother was refusing to be his brother. Sirius raged for days until James sat him down and instructed him firmly to cool off, that he would come around. Sirius had seemed shocked by this, and so it was effective long enough for James to go in search of Regulus and invite him to join them in a secret nook in the dungeons for tea. Although Remus was certain it took a good bit of finagling to get Regulus to agree, James managed it, and he, Regulus, and Sirius all had tea and civil conversations together in that small closet behind the statue of Dilys Derwent. Although Remus never grew to like Regulus much, at least Sirius seemed to have accepted this formal relationship over tea as the only one he would get, and James accompanied him to a different nook every month to meet with Regulus.  
Fourth year had been the kicker. Sirius came out as gay, having decided that Marlene McKinnon was the last girl he was willing to try, about a month into the school year, right on the full moon. Peter had been shocked, and Remus secretly pleased (though he wouldn’t know it was reciprocated until nearly a year later.) James had simply grumbled something about owing Shacklebolt ten galleons. When Sirius asked if James was okay with it- because by then, James’ approval was the only one that mattered, and Remus was just now beginning to see why- James had given him an incredulous look and asked if Sirius actually thought they would stop being friends just because Sirius preferred to receive. He’d already known that, James said. How else could he explain Sirius’ avid love of Christmas when he was so terrible at giving gifts? Peter had been shaken out of his stupor by this comment and snorted out a laugh, and soon all of them were laughing, as carefree as they had been before Sirius had ever brought it up.  
When, two months later, Remus finally decided to tell his friends that he was bisexual, James cursed loudly and glared at him. He complained that his boys were going to make him go broke before wandering off to find Shacklebolt again. Later, when James and Remus were alone in the dorm, Remus checked to make sure James really was certain it was alright. He wasn’t sure at the time why it mattered so much, but now he knew. It was becoming clearer and clearer the more Remus thought. James had rolled his eyes and told Remus to sod off; so long as Remus didn’t try to sway him from Lily, he didn’t care. Remus had smiled slightly and gone back to his studying.  
This was also the year that Peter, James, and Sirius first transformed. It was in their dorm, in the middle of the night, and Remus was woken by the clicking of hooves. Confused, he reached for his wand and flung his bedcurtains open to see a deer standing next to his bed. Next to the deer was a large, fluffy black dog, and on the deer’s head, a small grey rat. Remus paused for a moment, trying to puzzle out why there were three seemingly wild animals in their dorm, and where on earth his mates were. Even for a few moments after Sirius returned to human form, picking up Pete and setting him down so he and James could turn back, Remus wasn’t sure what was going on. Then it hit him, all at once. Remus wanted to scream at them- this was dangerous, it was illegal, weren’t they paying attention? If anything had gone wrong, they could have been turned permanently into half-human, half-animal mixes. But he couldn’t look at James, grinning so proudly and saying “So we can help you next week,” and be angry. They cared. James had led them on a horrible dangerous crusade for him. Remus failed to hold back the tears.  
James, of course, was the one to become concerned by the tears. He knelt next to Remus, asking if he was alright. Remus nodded vigorously in answer, a small sob escaping his lips. James examined his face a moment longer, then nodded as if affirming something before joining Remus on the bed. Remus collapsed against his friend, no longer sure if he was crying or laughing or admonishing or all three. Quickly the other two joined them, and in the end, all four boys fell asleep huddled together on Remus’ bed.  
Still in fourth year, Peter’s mother died. Sirius didn’t seem to know what to say or do, and so spent all his time for a week avoiding Peter so as not to be expected to show too much sympathy. He hadn’t moved in with the Potters yet and didn’t know what it felt like to love your mother or to miss her. Remus tried to help but also wasn’t sure exactly how to. He left chocolate on Pete’s pillow and tried not to avoid him. James moved right into the space that the other two left, though. He made sure Peter wasn’t alone the entire week (except for bathroom trips, of course) and even went with Peter to the funeral. Later James would describe it as strange- Peter explained that it had been a muggle funeral- and very full of old, smelly, crying adults. But he went nonetheless, and when they were apparated back to Hogsmeade by Pete’s cousin, where Sirius and Remus met them for butterbeers, James' shoulder was wet. None of them commented on it.  
Finally, Remus seemed to have run out of fourth year stories, but his mind rushed in with memories from earlier this year. The first that came to mind was when Sirius had come to school again in a rage, and it took two months for James to talk him down enough to explain the problem. Sirius admitted to fully hating his entire family- the teas with Regulus stopped here also- and needing to be away. Remus was in the dorm when James firmly informed Sirius that he was now Sirius Potter and that they’d better both go write their parents. It was quiet a moment, but Remus could almost hear Sirius’ face splitting into that hopeful smile. He made a point to keep his eyes focused on his Potions book, trying not to disrupt. They all went to James’ house again that year for the holidays, to celebrate Sirius’ new home. Remus, deep down, wished the Potters would adopt him, too, so he would never have to go home and see that drop of fear deep in his mother’s eyes, or the uncertainty in the line of his father’s mouth whenever he looked at Remus. Remus knew this a hopeless jealousy, as his family was perfectly functional; still, he enjoyed pretending to be a Potter that Christmas. The air smelled like cookies the whole break.  
When, two months ago, Sirius and Remus had finally ended up together, James swore at them vehemently. He was furious that they’d managed to get together before he got Evans, and that they hadn’t told him they fancied one another. He was also upset because he now owed Shacklebolt another thirty galleons. In the end, though, James told them that as long as they were quiet, he still didn’t care- although he did add, looking somewhat confused, that if either of them hurt the other, he would make sure the hurter got hit by the Whomping Willow the next month and that the hurtee would have chocolate for weeks. That was a bribe to stay together if Remus had ever heard one, and so he and Sirius were still dating, although they kept it quiet about the school.  
The one time Remus could recall James getting actually upset at them was that morning, when Remus had emerged from the Shrieking Shack horribly scratched up, nearly dizzy from blood loss, and Madam Pomfrey had to call in a doctor from St. Mungo’s. James tore through the door to the Hospital Wing at about nine in the morning, dragging Sirius and Peter behind him. Lily had also been there, but there had been nothing she could have done, so she was the only one to avoid the harsh reprimand. James started with Remus, asking him why on earth he’d let Sirius and Peter leave him alone that night. Remus’ only answer was that Pete really needed to pass his OWLS, and Sirius had been helping him study. Of course, Remus knew that really, the other two had forgotten what day it was and hadn’t noticed when Remus slipped away. James himself had been unable to hold off Quidditch practice this close to a match and so had left Sirius in charge of making sure their dear Moony was safe. Speaking of Sirius, that was who James yelled at next. Remus watched his boyfriend’s face go pale as he looked down at Remus, taking the abuse and accusations James was yelling silently. Remus couldn’t help but feel bad for Sirius, having to listen to James say that it was his fault this had happened, but they all knew that really it was true. Poor Pete was next on James’ list. If Peter had simply studied on time, James said, face flushed, then they wouldn’t have been distracted. If they hadn’t been distracted, they could have gone with Remus. James ended by saying that he hoped Peter failed his OWLS, then immediately looked guilty and apologized for that comment.  
Finally, looking almost as exhausted as Remus felt, James flopped into the chair next to Remus’ bed. He shooed the other two off to class, telling them that they could take shifts sitting with Moony. When the other two were gone, and Madam Pomfrey out of earshot, James groaned and put his head in his hands, whispering apologies to his best mate. It was obvious that James blamed himself as much as he had just finished accusing the other three. Remus felt awful.  
It was in this moment of James’ apologies and Remus’ guilt that Remus finally put everything together. He blinked once when James leaned his head against the edge of Remus’ bed, and a moment later picked it back up, leaving a damp spot on the sheets. Remus’ heart clenched.  
“Prongs, mate,” he said quietly, glancing across the room to make sure Pomfrey still couldn’t hear them, “it’s not your fault.” James looked up at him, brows furrowed into the self-loathing that Remus was familiar to seeing in a mirror, not his mate’s face. “You were protecting me as much by looking normal as you would have been in the Shack.” Remus closed his eyes, smiling. “You always do your best. You’ll make a great mom when Lily finally comes ‘round.”  
He heard James make a noise of indignation, but he was already falling asleep. Besides, they both knew that it was true, and James was certain Remus wouldn’t tell Pete or Sirius about it. Remus’ last moments of memory that morning were of a soft sigh and the blanket being tugged further up to cover the new bandaged gash across Remus’ chest.


End file.
